|
The House met at half-past Eleven o'clock.
PRAYERS.
1 Message from the Lords,—A Message was brought from the Lords, as follows: The Lords agree to the Consolidated Fund Bill, without Amendment.
2 Opposition Day [4th allotted day],—It being an allotted day at the disposal of the leader of the second largest opposition party in pursuance of Standing Order No. 14 (Arrangement of public business), the House proceeded to consider Opposition business.
Military Covenant,—A Motion was made, and the Question being proposed, That this House notes the commitment, bravery and professionalism of the UK's armed forces in operations around the world; further notes with concern the detrimental impact that sustained operations on two fronts are having on the armed forces and their capabilities, resulting in critical overstretch; believes that the Government should conduct a new strategic defence review and reinforce it with regular reviews of defence after each general election; urges the Government to do more to honour its duty of care, notably through accelerating the improvement and upgrading of service accommodation, providing greater provisions for mental health and medical care for service personnel, ring-fencing the defence budget for welfare and introducing a Coroners Bill to help address delays in inquests into military fatalities; and calls on the Government to renew the Military Covenant and set up a cross-party Military Covenant Committee to monitor the state of the armed forces and their welfare—(Nick Harvey);
An Amendment was proposed to the Question, in line 2, to leave out from the word 'House' to the end of the Question and add the words 'recognises the commitment, bravery and professionalism of the armed forces in all their operations; further recognises the enormous contribution made by service families to the effectiveness of the UK's armed forces and the debt owed by the nation to veterans; welcomes the major programme of improvements made by the Government to support all of these groups since 1997, including in the areas of medical support and improvement and replacement of sub-standard service accommodation; further welcomes the role played by ex-service organisations and other charities in contributing to the support of these groups and the Government's commitment to working closely with such bodies to improve support in the future; and commends the Government's decision to produce a cross-cutting Command Paper setting out the progress already achieved in this area and what more will be done in the future', instead thereof.—(Mr Bob Ainsworth.)
And the Question being put, That the original words stand part of the Question;
Tellers for the Ayes, Dan Rogerson, Mr Adrian Sanders: 71.
Tellers for the Noes, Alison Seabeck, Ms Diana R. Johnson: 302.
So the Question was negatived.
And the Question, That the proposed words be there added, being put forthwith, pursuant to Standing Order No. 31 (Questions on amendments):—It was agreed to.
The Deputy Speaker forthwith declared the Main Question, as amended, to be agreed to.
Resolved, That this House recognises the commitment, bravery and professionalism of the armed forces in all their operations; further recognises the enormous contribution made by service families to the effectiveness of the UK's armed forces and the debt owed by the nation to veterans; welcomes the major programme of improvements made by the Government to support all of these groups since 1997, including in the areas of medical support and improvement and replacement of sub-standard service accommodation; further welcomes the role played by ex-service organisations and other charities in contributing to the support of these groups and the Government's commitment to working closely with such bodies to improve support in the future; and commends the Government's decision to produce a cross-cutting Command Paper setting out the progress already achieved in this area and what more will be done in the future.
Northern Rock and the Banking System,—A Motion was made, and the Question being proposed, That this House notes with dismay that the Chancellor of the Exchequer has presided over the first run on a UK bank for over one hundred years and that the taxpayer has now made approximately £30 billion worth of loans to Northern Rock without the Government providing evidence of either the exact amount or the security of the loan, over and above deposit guarantees; further notes that the current search for a private purchaser for Northern Rock faces enormous difficulties in the face of the high costs of credit and the conflicting interests of different groups of shareholders; applauds the important role played by the Northern Rock Foundation in the North East and regrets the potentially negative consequences for jobs in the North East should Northern Rock go into administration; further regrets that the Chancellor chose not to recognise the importance of Northern Rock as a large employer in the North East amongst his principles for assessing Northern Rock proposals; calls upon the Financial Services Authority to suspend trading of shares in Northern Rock immediately to prevent insider trading; and calls upon the Government to introduce legislation to allow for Northern Rock to be placed immediately in temporary public ownership as the only action that will guarantee the loans are paid back in full as soon as possible at the lowest risk to taxpayers—(Dr Vincent Cable);
An Amendment was proposed to the Question, in line 2, to leave out from the word 'House' to the end of the Question and add the words 'endorses the approach taken by the Government to Northern Rock to maintain financial stability, protect the interests of taxpayers and safeguard the position of depositors; welcomes the publication of a statement of principles underpinning the Government's response to proposals received by Northern Rock with regard to its future; acknowledges that Northern Rock has announced that it is continuing to explore a range of options as part of its strategic review; recognises that the Government continues to keep all options open in relation to the future of Northern Rock; and notes the Chancellor's assurance that he will keep the House fully informed of further developments with regard to Northern Rock', instead thereof.—(Kitty Ussher.)
And the Question being proposed, That the original words stand part of the Question;
And it being Seven o'clock, the Debate stood adjourned.
3 Business of the House,—A Motion was made, and the Question being put forthwith, pursuant to Standing Order No. 15 (Exempted business), That, at this day's sitting, proceedings on the Motions in the name of Dr Vincent Cable may be proceeded with, though opposed, until a quarter past seven o'clock—(Alison Seabeck):—It was agreed to.
4 Deferred Divisions,—A Motion was made, and the Question being put forthwith, pursuant to Standing Order No. 41A (Deferred divisions), That, at this day's sitting, Standing Order No. 41A (Deferred divisions) shall not apply to the Motions in the name of Mr Secretary Hain relating to Pensions; Mr Jim Murphy relating to the Funding of Political Parties; and proceedings on the Motion in the name of Dr Vincent Cable—(Alison Seabeck):—It was agreed to.
5 Opposition Day [4th allotted day],—Northern Rock and the Banking System,—The Question being again proposed, That the original words stand part of the Question;
Mr Paul Burstow rose in his place and claimed to move, That the Question be now put.
And the Question being put, That the Question be now put:—It was agreed to.
And the Question being accordingly put;
Tellers for the Ayes, Paul Rowen, Dan Rogerson: 60.
Tellers for the Noes, Mr Alan Campbell, Tony Cunningham: 304.
So the Question was negatived.
And the Question, That the proposed words be there added, being put forthwith, pursuant to Standing Order No. 31 (Questions on amendments);
Tellers for the Ayes, Mr Alan Campbell, Tony Cunningham: 290.
Tellers for the Noes, Mr Brooks Newmark, Jeremy Wright: 222.
So the Question was agreed to.
The Deputy Speaker forthwith declared the Main Question, as amended, to be agreed to.
Resolved, That this House endorses the approach taken by the Government to Northern Rock to maintain financial stability, protect the interests of taxpayers and safeguard the position of depositors; welcomes the publication of a statement of principles underpinning the Government's response to proposals received by Northern Rock with regard to its future; acknowledges that Northern Rock has announced that it is continuing to explore a range of options as part of its strategic review; recognises that the Government continues to keep all options open in relation to the future of Northern Rock; and notes the Chancellor's assurance that he will keep the House fully informed of further developments with regard to Northern Rock.
6 Pensions,—A Motion was made, and the Question being put forthwith, pursuant to Standing Order No. 118 (Delegated Legislation Committees), That the draft Financial Assistance Scheme (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2007, which were laid before this House on 20th November, be approved—(Liz Blackman):—It was agreed to.
7 Funding of Political Parties,—A Motion was made, and the Question being put forthwith, pursuant to Standing Order No. 119 (European Standing Committees), That this House takes note of European Document No. 11559/07, Draft Regulation amending Regulation (EC) No. 2004/2003 on the regulations governing political parties at European level and the rules regarding their funding; and agrees that the Government should support its adoption—(Liz Blackman);
The House divided.
Tellers for the Ayes, Mr Alan Campbell, Tony Cunningham: 336.
Tellers for the Noes, Mr John Baron, Mr Richard Benyon: 159.
So the Question was agreed to.
8 Public Petitions,—Public Petitions from—
(1) Mr Temple, Postmaster, and the customers of Lancelyn Post Office, Wirral, relating to Post Office closures (Wirral);
(2) the people of Boston and the Boston Bypass Pressure Group relating to Boston bypass (Lincolnshire);
(3) those affected by the closure of the Aintree Post Office in Bootle relating to Post Office closures (Merseyside);
(4) those affected by the closure of the Daleacre Post Office in Bootle relating to Post Office closures (Merseyside);
(5) those affected by the collapse of Farepak relating to Farepak; and
(6) residents of Chorleywood and others from the constituency of South West Hertfordshire and others relating to M25 noise pollution
9 Public Petition,—A Public Petition from the Alzheimer's Society (South Buckinghamshire Branch) relating to Carers' Grant was presented.
10 Adjournment.
Subject: Assisted reproduction services in the NHS (Dr Ian Gibson).
Resolved, That this House do now adjourn.—(Mr Alan Campbell.)
And accordingly, the House, having continued to sit till twenty-two minutes past Eight o'clock, adjourned till to-morrow.
[Adjourned at 8.22 p.m.
Michael J. Martin
Speaker
Mr Speaker will take the Chair at half-past Ten o'clock.
APPENDIX I
Papers presented or laid upon the Table:
Paper subject to Affirmative Resolution:
1 Police,—Draft Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (Codes of Practice) Order 2008 [by Act], with an Explanatory Memorandum [by Command] [Secretary Jacqui Smith].
Paper subject to Negative Resolution:
2 Environmental Protection,—Waste and Air Pollution (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2007 (S.I., 2007, No. 3476), dated 6th December 2007 [by Act], with an Explanatory Memorandum [by Command] [Secretary Hilary Benn].
Other Papers:
3 Government Resources and Accounts,—Statements of Accounts of Returning Officers' Expenses for England and Wales for—
with the Reports of the Comptroller and Auditor General thereon [by Act]; to be printed [Nos. 124, 125 and 126] [Secretary Jack Straw].
4 National Audit,—Report by the Comptroller and Auditor General on Compensating victims of violent crime [by Act]; to be printed [No. 100] [Clerk of the House].
APPENDIX II
General Committees
1 Planning Bill (Programming Sub-Committee),—The Speaker has appointed Mr Richard Benyon, Tom Brake, Jeff Ennis, John Healey, Mrs Jacqui Lait, Chris Mole and Mr Dave Watts members of the Programming Sub-Committee of the Planning Bill Committee.
2 Planning Bill,—The Committee of Selection has nominated twenty-one Members to serve on the Planning Bill Committee: Mr Richard Benyon, Mr Clive Betts, Tom Brake, Paul Clark, Mr David Curry, Mr Parmjit Dhanda, James Duddridge, Mrs Louise Ellman, Jeff Ennis, Jim Fitzpatrick, John Healey, Mrs Jacqui Lait, Mr Elfyn Llwyd, Anne Main, Alun Michael, Chris Mole, Robert Neill, Mr Jamie Reed, John Robertson, Dan Rogerson and Mr Dave Watts.
3 Draft Immigration (Employment of Adults Subject to Immigration Control) (Maximum Penalty) Order 2007,—The Committee of Selection has discharged Hilary Armstrong, Jim Dobbin and Michael Jabez Foster from the Fifth Delegated Legislation Committee (nominated in respect of the draft Order) and nominated in substitution Gordon Banks, Mr Bruce George and Geraldine Smith.
European Standing Committees
4 European Union Document No. 15371/07, relating to Electronic Communications Networks and Services, has been referred to European Standing Committee C.
APPENDIX III
Reports from Select Committees
1 Children, Schools and Families,—The Work of Ofsted: Minutes of Evidence taken before the Children, Schools and Families Committee, with Memoranda; to be printed [No. 188-i] [Mr Barry Sheerman].
2 Environmental Audit,—2007 Pre-Budget Report and Comprehensive Spending Review: Minutes of Evidence taken before the Environmental Audit Committee; to be printed [No. 149-iii];
(2) Environmental Labelling:
(i) Minutes of Evidence taken before the Sub-Committee on Environmental Information of the Environmental Audit Committee; to be printed [No. 83-ii]; and
(ii) Memoranda laid before the Committee; to be published
3 Environment, Food and Rural Affairs,—(1) Climate Change: the "citizen's agenda": Government Response to the Eighth Report from the Committee, Session 2006-07: Second Report from the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee; to be printed, with the Minutes of Proceedings of the Committee relating to the Report [No. 189]; and
(2) Flooding: Minutes of Evidence taken before the Committee; to be printed [No. 49-v]
4 European Scrutiny,—(1) Sixth Report from the European Scrutiny Committee; to be printed, with the Minutes of Proceedings of the Committee relating to the Report [No. 16-vi];
(2) European Intergovernmental Conference; Government Response to the Thirty-fifth Report from the Committee, Session 2006-07 and Government Response to the Third Report from the Committee, Session 2007-08: First Special Report from the Committee; to be printed [No. 179];
(3) Police Cooperation in Criminal Matters and European Arrest Warrant: Minutes of Evidence taken before the Committee; to be printed [No. 178-i]; and
(4) Ministerial Correspondence: Memoranda laid before the Committee; to be published
5 Foreign Affairs Committee,—(1) Developments in the EU: Minutes of Evidence taken before the Foreign Affairs Committee; to be printed [No.120-iii]; and
(2) Developments in the EU: Memoranda laid before the Committee; to be published
6 Innovation, Universities and Skills,—Government Chief Scientific Adviser Designate: Introductory Hearing: Minutes of Evidence taken before the Innovation, Universities and Skills Committee; to be printed [No. 116-i] [Mr Phil Willis].
7 Justice,—Towards Effective Sentencing: Minutes of Evidence taken before the Justice Committee; to be printed [No. 184-i] [Mr Alan Beith].
8 Public Accounts,—Improving corporate functions using shared services: Minutes of Evidence taken before the Committee of Public Accounts, to be printed [No. 190-i] [Mr Edward Leigh].
9 Standards and Privileges,—Conduct of Mr Norman Baker, Mr Malcolm Bruce and Mr Sadiq Khan: Second Report from the Committee on Standards and Privileges, with Appendices; to be printed, with Minutes of Proceedings of the Committee relating to the Report [No. 182] [Sir George Young].
10 Statutory Instruments,—Fifth Report from the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments, with Memoranda; to be printed [No. 38-v] [David Maclean].
11 Transport,—(1) Ticketing on Public Transport: Minutes of Evidence taken before the Transport Committee; to be printed [No. 84-iii]; and
(2) Transport Security-Travelling without Fear: Memoranda laid before the Committee; to be printed [No. 191]
[W.H., No. 12]
Minutes of Proceedings of the Sitting in Westminster Hall
The sitting began at half-past Nine o'clock.
Adjournment.
Future of UK car manufacturing (Mr Lindsay Hoyle).
Train services to Nuneaton (Mr Bill Olner).
Government plans for expansion at Heathrow Airport (Mr John Randall).
NHS services in Taunton Deane (Mr Jeremy Browne).
Government funding for the costs of cleaning up chewing gum (Mr Graham Allen).
Resolved, That the sitting be now adjourned.—(Mr Frank Roy.)
And accordingly the sitting was adjourned till to-morrow.
[Adjourned at 5.10 p.m.
Sir Alan Haselhurst
Deputy Speaker
|
